japanese scientists had to invent hybrid rice seeds-- seedlings-- that would grow in this environment in order for tohoku to become "the rice bowl of japan." so we really see a huge intervention by people-- science and technology-- in order to... for this particular region to become the rice bowl that it is now. narrator: by mid-may, the long winter has finally ended and it is time to plant. kobayashi fukuzo is a farmer of recognized skill. at 71, he knows how unforgiving the weather can be. he worries constantly about what he should do mechanized agriculture allows to anto continue to farm.rice. the fields are irrigated. irrigation is crucial. the rice seedlings depend on water, rather than soil, for much-needed nutrients. rice farmers in northeastern japan have a traditional enemy. called yamase, this cold wind can blow through the region anytime from june to mid-august. while it can be absent for years, in 1993, yamase caused extensive crop damage in tohoku. when the cold winds blow, temperatures drop, fog develops, and the plants don't get enough sunlight. stunted alks are a bad o